He Left Us Behind
by Harley Eve
Summary: An emotional one-shot where Jason Todd is briefly confronted by his younger, angrier, freshly-revived self. Based on the cover image done by Viduata on Deviantart.


**A/N:** Whelp, here's the first thing I've written in... 2 months? A bit of inspiration from Viduata's piece of heartbreaking art and just... with everything going on in the Batfamily right now, I feel the need to add another bit of tragedy and pain.

This is just a bit of drabble. I honestly couldn't decide whether the young Jason Todd would be a teenager, or as a young child. I think I went more for young child, but it's... heartbreaking enough. I really just wrote this on the fly but I would LOVE some feedback. I haven't done much tragedy lately so please let me know if anything needs to be fixed.

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**He Left Us Behind**

"He left us behind!" the young Robin cried

"I know."

"He replaced us!"

"I _know_…" Jason admit, turning his head away. Unable to look at the bloody boy screaming at him. He remembered that feeling. The confusion, the anger, the resentment… the betrayal. It was all too familiar to him.

The young boy glared at him, furious that he wasn't _angry_. Why wasn't he _angry_? Didn't he know? Didn't he know the feeling of hot tears mixing with cold blood? Didn't he know the pain? The pain of being beaten? The pain of dying? The pain of being left behind? "Look at me! Look at what he did to me! Look at what he did to you!" Robin shouted, forcing off Jason's mask. Jason didn't fight him, even tilted his head to help him. He let him see. The boy needed to see.

He let him see all the scars scattered across his face from the years he's been Red Hood. From the knives. And the fists. And the explosions. And the bullets… and the batarangs… and Wing-Dings. Everything their _father_ didn't protect them from…

"You can't hid behind _that_ mask either…" Robin accused, speaking of Jason's domino mask. Jason pulled that off too, looking the boy in the eye. Unwilling to hide what he already knew. "You still feel it… don't you?" Jason said nothing, even as he watched the boy's body tense, as his fingers curled into fists, as he tensed his jaw, as he curled his lip, as he raised his shoulders… Jason said nothing.

"Why are they still alive? Why haven't you gotten them back! Him back! We gave him everything!" Jason still said nothing. Robin curled his lip again. "Fine! If you won't do anything, _I will._"

Robin turned to walk away, but Jason held him back. "Let me go!" Robin demanded —reminding Jason of Damian for a moment —as he struggled in Jason's arms. "They deserve it! They all deserve it! I shouldn't be the only one!"

"You can't."

"Why not?! They let me die! They let me burn!" Robin sobbed out, his hot tears flowing down his face again.

Jason let the boy struggle, holding back his own tears as he remembered the anger, feeling the heat of it in his arms. The shame of it in his gut. "…because they're family…" he muttered into the boy's hair.

Robin stopped struggling, instead he grasped onto Jason's arm. His sobs shaking them both. "He didn't… he didn't save me…"

"I know… I know… but he tried. I know he tried," Jason breathed, holding the child against him. Holding the child to him. Allowing the question to echo between them.

The young Robin was dropped his head and tried to choke back his sobs, but they still escaped his throat in whimpers and hiccups. Tears still washed the blood down his face.

Finally it was all too much for him, and the young Jason screamed. Jason held him tighter as the rage-filled scream echoed through his brain, until it ended in sobs. And then it started again, but this time more pained. In remembrance, of everything he lost. Of everything he knew he could never get back. He continued to scream until he was gasping for breath through his sobbing.

The young Robin's legs gave out, but Jason Todd was right there to catch his younger self, and hold him as he needed to be held as he cried.

And the young Jason Todd, with his tear-filled eyes shut… could easily imagine another strong pair of arms… willing away his sorrow. Like it was all a nightmare he had... safe and sound at Wayne Manor.

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**A/N:** Heart breaking enough? I'd say so I had to stop writing in the middle of it a couple of times... And in that second to last paragraph I'll leave who the "he" is up to interpretation.

I hope you all liked it... please don't maul me.


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